It's time to celebrate our business heroes in the Bury Free Press Business Awards 2020
Covid has brought the toughest challenge for our businesses - but now it's time to celebrate the great work of entrepreneurs and firms both large and small.
One of the most respected and best attended business events in East Anglia is set for a grand return at the beginning of next year.
The prestigious Bury Free Press Business Awards 2020 – rescheduled because of the coronavirus pandemic - have been launched.
Lead sponsor Jaynic, developers of Suffolk Park, West Suffolk Council and Menta are among the supporters of the awards which will take place at St Edmundsbury Cathedral on March 25, 2021.
Nic Rumsey, Jaynic’s managing director, and Nicola Barber, office manager, are looking forward to returning to the event which the company also sponsored last year.
Ms Barber said: “It was fantastically organised last year and I really enjoyed the event. It was wonderful for us to attend and engage.”
Mr Rumsey said: “It has been a great way for us to network within the business community and gain a greater understanding of the area. We want to get involved in Bury St Edmunds and are looking forward to getting together.”
He added: “We have had a good lockdown period, but we are conscious a lot of people have not.
“It is important to be talking among businesses and finding ways we can work together and continue to improve.
“We don’t want to see the economy affected more than it has been.”
Last year’s awards were held in The Apex and helped to continue the special relationship Iliffe Media has with the business community.
This next edition, which will be the ninth awards, will provide a networking opportunity and a showcase for many of the best and most exciting businesses in West Suffolk.
For the first time, there will be 13 award categories - the new Rainbow award brought in to celebrate lockdown heroics.
Returning to the awards will be West Suffolk Council, with the authority sponsoring the ‘Investing in West Suffolk’ award.
Council leader John Griffiths said: “We are enthusiastic to be back for the ninth year as we have been involved since the start.
“We, as a council, look to support businesses of all sizes and this year that is more important than ever.”
West Suffolk Council is also partnering the Bury Free Press to hold the West Suffolk Business Festival, which will be held this year online from October 5 to October 9.
Cllr Griffiths continued: “It will not be the same (not being held in its traditional time of October) but we are looking forward to making the best of things and supporting our wonderful local businesses.
“This launch event shows we are all here and that it is going to happen.”
Also at the launch event was Alex Till, chief executive of Menta, an organisation which supports businesses across Norfolk and Suffolk with events and training. This year Menta is sponsoring the award for Best New Start-Up Business.
Mr Till said: “I think it is especially important to be raising the awareness of what businesses are doing, during this time.
“These awards have brought together a number of businesses. We like to be where the action is and helping to raise the profile of up and coming firms, which is why we are sponsoring this award.”
Our Bury St Edmunds, the company which manages the town’s Business Improvement District, is again part of the awards. The organisation has recently helped launch an app to promote sales in shops around the town.
Mark Cordell, Our Bury St Edmunds chief executive, said the organisation was proud to be sponsoring the award for Best Customer Service.
Mr Cordell said: “It is something that is very important to the town and we are delighted to be sponsoring the award once more.”
Bury Free Press commercial manager Conor Lenaghan said: “I want to thank our headline sponsor Jaynic along with the category sponsors who help make the awards possible”.
“They have all contributed to helping local businesses thrive in West Suffolk.”
The 2020 awards and their sponsors are:
1 Business Leader of the Year (sponsor: Ashtons Legal)
2 Contribution to the Community
3 Employee of the Year (sponsor: West Suffolk College)
4 Green / Environment Award (sponsor: Stennetts)
5 Apprentice / Trainee of the Year (sponsor: WS Training)
6 West Suffolk Award for Innovation (sponsor: Treatt)
7 Customer Service Award (sponsor: Our Bury St Edmunds)
8 Best New Start-Up (sponsor: Menta)
9 Business of the Year (sponsor: Suffolk Chamber)
10 Investing in West Suffolk (sponsor: West Suffolk Council)
11 Rural Enterprise (sponsor: Fornham Business Court)
12 Lifetime Achievement (sponsor: Jaynic)
13 The Rainbow Award (sponsor: Iliffe Media)
For more information, visit: www.iliffemediapromotions.co.uk/bury-business-awards/
For more on the West Suffolk Business festival, see http://www.businessfestival.org/
